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Macaroni and cheese (also called mac and cheese in Canada and the United States and macaroni cheese in the United Kingdom
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
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...
, Recipes
Macaroni Cheese/ref>) is a dish of cooked
macaroni pasta and a
cheese sauce
Cheese sauce is a sauce made with cheese or processed cheese as a primary ingredient. Sometimes dried cheese or cheese powder is used. Several varieties exist and it has many various culinary uses. Mass-produced commercial cheese sauces are also ...
, most commonly
Cheddar sauce
Cheddar sauce, cheddar cheese sauce, or cheese sauce is a traditional sauce used in English cooking. The sauce is based upon white sauce, which is known as one of the 'mother sauces', and cheddar cheese. It could be seen as an English equivalent o ...
.
The traditional macaroni and cheese is a
casserole baked in the oven; however, it may be prepared in a sauce pan on top of the stove or using a
packaged mix.
The cheese is often first incorporated into a
Béchamel sauce
Bechamel sauce ( ) is a sauce traditionally made from a white roux (butter and flour in a 1:1 mixture by weight) and milk. Bechamel may also be referred to as besciamella (Italy), besamel (Greece), or white sauce (U.S.). French, Italian and Gree ...
to create a
Mornay sauce
A Mornay sauce is a béchamel sauce with shredded or grated cheese added. Some variations use different combinations of Gruyère, Emmental cheese, white cheddar or even Parmesan cheese. A Mornay sauce made with cheddar is commonly used to make ...
, which is then added to the pasta. In the United States, it is considered a
comfort food
Comfort food is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to someone, and may be characterized by its high caloric nature, high carbohydrate level, or simple preparation. The nostalgia may be specific to an individual, or it may app ...
.
History
Cheese and pasta casseroles were recorded in the 14th century in the Italian cookbook, ''
Liber de Coquina
The ''Liber de Coquina'' ("The book of cooking/cookery") is one of the oldest medieval cookbooks. Two codices that contain the work survive from the beginning of the 14th century. Both are preserved at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, France ...
'', which featured a dish of Parmesan cheese and pasta. A cheese and pasta casserole known as ''makerouns'' was recorded in the 14th-century medieval English cookbook, the ''
Forme of Cury
''The Forme of Cury'' (''The Method of Cooking'', from Middle French : 'to cook') is an extensive 14th-century collection of medieval English recipes. Although the original manuscript is lost, the text appears in nine manuscripts, the most fa ...
''. It was made with fresh, hand-cut pasta which was sandwiched between a mixture of melted butter and cheese. The recipe given (in
Middle English
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English ...
) was:
This is the above recipe in modern English:
The first modern recipe for macaroni and cheese was included in
Elizabeth Raffald
Elizabeth Raffald (; 1733 – 19 April 1781) was an English author, innovator and entrepreneur.
Born and raised in Doncaster, Yorkshire, Raffald went into domestic service for fifteen years, ending as the housekeeper to the Warburton baron ...
's 1769 book, ''The Experienced English Housekeeper''. Raffald's recipe is for a
Béchamel sauce
Bechamel sauce ( ) is a sauce traditionally made from a white roux (butter and flour in a 1:1 mixture by weight) and milk. Bechamel may also be referred to as besciamella (Italy), besamel (Greece), or white sauce (U.S.). French, Italian and Gree ...
with
cheddar cheese—a
Mornay sauce
A Mornay sauce is a béchamel sauce with shredded or grated cheese added. Some variations use different combinations of Gruyère, Emmental cheese, white cheddar or even Parmesan cheese. A Mornay sauce made with cheddar is commonly used to make ...
in French cooking—which is mixed with macaroni, sprinkled with
Parmesan
Parmesan ( it, Parmigiano Reggiano; ) is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cows’ milk and aged at least 12 months.
It is named after two of the areas which produce it, the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (''Parmigiano'' ...
, and baked until bubbly and golden.
''To dress'' Macaroni ''with'' Permasent armasanCheese. Boil four Ounces of Macaroni ’till it be quite tender, and lay it on a Sieve to drain, then put it in a Tolling Pan, with about a Gill of good Cream, a Lump of Butter rolled in Flour, boil it five Minutes, pour it on a Plate, lay all over it Permasent Cheese toasted; send it to the Table on a Water Plate, for it soon goes cold.
Another recipe from 1784 stated that the small tubes of macaroni must be boiled, then drained in a sifter before being moved to a frying pan. Heavy
cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...
is then added to the macaroni along with a "knob of butter" rolled in flour, and it must be cooked for five minutes before being transferred to a dish and topped with toasted Parmesan and pepper. The famous British Victorian cookbook ''
Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management'' included two instances of "Macaroni, as usually served with the Cheese Course". One of them states:
In the United Kingdom, during the 2010s, it has seen a surge in popularity, becoming widespread as a meal and as a side order in both fast food and upmarket restaurants.
US history
The US president
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...
and
James Hemings
James Hemings (17651801) was the first American to train as a chef in France. He was African American and born in Virginia in 1765. At 8 years old, he was enslaved by Thomas Jefferson .
He was an older brother of Sally Hemings and a half-sibl ...
, his slave, encountered macaroni in Paris and brought the recipe back to
Monticello
Monticello ( ) was the primary plantation of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, who began designing Monticello after inheriting land from his father at age 26. Located just outside Charlottesville, V ...
. Jefferson drew a sketch of the pasta and wrote detailed notes on the
extrusion
Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile by pushing material through a die of the desired cross-section. Its two main advantages over other manufacturing processes are its ability to create very complex ...
process. In 1793, he commissioned the US ambassador to France
William Short to purchase a machine for making it. Evidently, the machine was not suitable, as Jefferson later imported both macaroni and Parmesan cheese for his use at Monticello. In 1802, Jefferson served "a pie called macaroni" at a state dinner. The menu of the dinner was reported by Reverend
Manasseh Cutler
Manasseh Cutler (May 13, 1742 – July 28, 1823) was an American clergyman involved in the American Revolutionary War. He was influential in the passage of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and wrote the section prohibiting slavery in the Nort ...
, who apparently was not fond of the cheesy macaroni casserole. Nevertheless, since that time, baked macaroni and cheese has remained popular in the United States.
![8](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/8.28.12CheeseburgerMacByLuigiNovi1.jpg)
A recipe called "macaroni and cheese" appeared in the 1824 cookbook ''
The Virginia House-Wife'' written by
Mary Randolph
Mary Randolph (August 9, 1762 – January 23, 1828) was a Southern American cook and author, known for writing ''The Virginia House-Wife; Or, Methodical Cook'' (1824), one of the most influential housekeeping and cook books of the 19th century. ...
. Randolph's recipe had three ingredients: macaroni, cheese, and butter, layered together and baked in a
hot oven. The cookbook was the most influential cookbook of the 19th century, according to culinary historian
Karen Hess. Similar recipes for macaroni and cheese occur in the 1852 ''Hand-book of Useful Arts'', and the 1861 ''
Godey's Lady's Book
''Godey's Lady's Book'', alternatively known as ''Godey's Magazine and Lady's Book'', was an American women's magazine that was published in Philadelphia from 1830 to 1878. It was the most widely circulated magazine in the period before the Civil ...
''. By the mid-1880s, cookbooks as far west as Kansas and Festus, Missouri, included recipes for macaroni and cheese casseroles. Factory production of the main ingredients made the dish affordable, and recipes made it accessible, but not notably popular. As it became accessible to a broader section of society, macaroni and cheese lost its upper-class appeal.
Canadian history
Macaroni and cheese was brought to Canada by British immigrants, coming from other parts of the
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
. Macaroni and cheese recipes have been attested in Canada since at least ''Modern Practical Cookery'' in 1845, which suggests a
puff pastry
Puff pastry, also known as ', is a flaky light pastry made from a laminated dough composed of dough (') and butter or other solid fat ('). The butter is put inside the dough (or vice versa), making a ' that is repeatedly folded and rolled out befo ...
lining (suggesting upper-class refinement); a sauce of cream, egg yolks, mace, and mustard; and grated Parmesan or
Cheshire cheese
Cheshire cheese is a dense and crumbly cheese produced in the English county of Cheshire, and four neighbouring counties, Denbighshire and Flintshire in Wales and Shropshire and Staffordshire in England.
History
Cheshire cheese is one of ...
on top. Canadian Cheddar cheese was also becoming popularized at this time and was likely also used during that era.
Macaroni and cheese is very popular in contemporary Canada.
Kraft Dinner is the most popular brand of packaged macaroni and cheese. Sasha Chapman, writing in ''
The Walrus
''The Walrus'' is an independent, non-profit Canadian media organization. It is multi-platform and produces an 8-issue-per-year magazine and online editorial content that includes current affairs, fiction, poetry, and podcasts, a national s ...
'', considered it to be Canada's national dish, ahead of
poutine
Poutine () is a dish of french fries and cheese curds topped with a brown gravy. It emerged in Quebec, in the late 1950s in the Centre-du-Québec region, though its exact origins are uncertain and there are several competing claims regarding it ...
.
In fact, Canadians purchase nearly 25% of the seven million boxes of Kraft Dinner sold worldwide each week.
Variations
Pasta other than macaroni are often used: almost any
short-cut extruded pasta and many of the
decorative cut pasta will do, particularly those with folds and pockets to hold the cheese. The dish may still be referred to as "macaroni and cheese," "mac n' cheese," or "cheesy mac" when made with a different pasta; while "shells and cheese" are sometimes used when it is made with
conchiglie
Conchiglie (), commonly known as "shells" or "seashells", is a type of pasta. It is usually sold in the plain durum wheat variety, and also in colored varieties which use natural pigments, such as tomato extract, squid ink or spinach extract. Th ...
.
While
Cheddar cheese is most commonly used for macaroni and cheese, other cheeses may also be used — usually sharp in flavor — and two or more cheeses can be combined. Other cheeses can be used such as
Gruyere,
Gouda,
Havarti
Havarti () or cream havarti ( da, flødehavarti) is a semisoft Danish cow's milk cheese. It can be sliced, grilled, or melted.
History
Havarti was previously called "Danish Tilsiter" after the German cheese type tilsiter. Danish productio ...
, and
Jarlsberg cheese
Jarlsberg ( , ) is a mild cheese made from cow's milk, with large, regular eyes, originating from Jarlsberg, Norway. It is produced in Norway, as well as in Ireland and the US state of Ohio, licensed from Norwegian dairy producers. It is classi ...
.
Macaroni and cheese can be made by simply layering slices of cheese and pasta (often with butter or evaporated milk) then baking in a casserole, rather than preparing as a cheese sauce.
Also, some like to include a crunchy topping to their baked macaroni and cheese by topping it off with bread crumbs or crushed crackers, which also keeps the noodles on top from drying out when baking.
![Cicis-Mac&Cheese-Pizza](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Cicis-Mac%26Cheese-Pizza.jpg)
One novelty presentation is deep-fried macaroni and cheese found at fairs and
food cart
A food cart is a mobile kitchen set up on the street to prepare and sell street food to passers-by. Food carts are often found in cities worldwide selling food of every kind.
Food carts come in two basic styles. One allows the vendor to sit ...
s.
Extra ingredients sometimes incorporated include
bacon,
jalapeño
The jalapeño ( , , ) is a medium-sized chili pepper pod type cultivar of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. A mature jalapeño chili is long and hangs down with a round, firm, smooth flesh of wide. It can have a range of pungency, with Scovi ...
s,
tomato
The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...
es,
onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onio ...
s,
peppers
Pepper or peppers may refer to:
Food and spice
* Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant
** Black pepper
* ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae
** Bell pepper
** Chili ...
,
leeks
The leek is a vegetable, a cultivar of ''Allium ampeloprasum'', the broadleaf wild leek ( syn. ''Allium porrum''). The edible part of the plant is a bundle of leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a stem or stalk. The genus ''Alliu ...
, dried
herbs,
Tabasco sauce
Tabasco is an American brand of hot sauce made from vinegar, tabasco peppers ('' Capsicum frutescens'' var. ''tabasco''), and salt. It is produced by McIlhenny Company of Avery Island in south Louisiana, having been created over 150 years ago ...
,
sautéed mushrooms
Sautéed mushrooms (French: ''Champignons sautés au beurre'') is a flavorful dish prepared by sautéing edible mushrooms. It is served as a side dish, used as an ingredient in dishes such as coq au vin and beef bourguignon, in foods such as d ...
,
chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adu ...
,
ham
Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term "ham ...
,
ground beef
Ground beef, minced beef or beef mince is beef that has been finely chopped with a knife, meat grinder (American English), mincer or mincing machine (British English). It is used in many recipes including hamburgers, bolognese sauce, meatloaf, ...
,
roast beef
Roast beef is a dish of beef that is roasted, generally served as the main dish of a meal. In the Anglosphere, roast beef is one of the meats often served at Sunday lunch or dinner. Yorkshire pudding is a standard side dish. Sliced roast beef ...
, sliced
hot dog
A hot dog (uncommonly spelled hotdog) is a food consisting of a grilled or steamed sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term hot dog can refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a f ...
s,
Spam,
lobster, canned
tuna
A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max len ...
or
salmon
Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus ''Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Oncorhy ...
,
peas,
carrots,
green beans, and
broccoli
Broccoli (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''italica'') is an edible green plant in the cabbage family (family Brassicaceae, genus ''Brassica'') whose large flowering head, stalk and small associated leaves are eaten as a vegetable. Broccoli is cla ...
.
Regional variations and analogues
In Scotland, macaroni and cheese can often be found in pies, known endearingly as a macaroni pie.
A similar traditional dish in Switzerland is called
''Älplermagronen'' (Alpine herder's macaroni), which is also available in boxed versions. ''Älplermagronen'' are made of macaroni, cream, cheese, roasted onions, and in some recipes, potatoes. In the
Canton of Uri, the potatoes are traditionally omitted, and in some regions, bacon or ham is added. The cheese is often
Emmental cheese
Emmental, Emmentaler, or Emmenthal is a yellow, medium-hard cheese that originated in the area around Emmental, in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is classified as a Swiss-type or Alpine cheese.
Emmental was first mentioned in written rec ...
or
Appenzeller cheese
Appenzeller cheese is a hard cow's-milk cheese produced in the Appenzellerland region of northeast Switzerland, in the two modern-day cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden and Appenzell Ausserrhoden. It is classified as a Swiss-type or Alpine cheese. ...
. It is usually accompanied by
apple sauce
Apple sauce or applesauce is a purée (not necessarily served as a true sauce) made of apples. It can be made with peeled or unpeeled apples and may be spiced or sweetened. Apple sauce is inexpensive and is widely consumed in North America and s ...
.
Prepared and packaged mixes
Packaged macaroni and cheese are available in frozen form or as boxed ingredients for simplified preparation.
Boston Market
Boston Market Corporation, known as Boston Chicken until 1995, is an American fast casual restaurant chain headquartered in Golden, Colorado. It is owned by the Rohan Group.
Boston Market has its greatest presence in the Northeastern and Midwes ...
,
Michelina's,
Kraft Foods
The second incarnation of Kraft Foods is an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. in 2012 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz in 2015.
A merger with Heinz, arran ...
,
Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., doing business as simply Cracker Barrel, is an American chain of restaurant and gift stores with a Southern country theme. The company was founded by Dan Evins in 1969. Its first store was in Lebanon, ...
, and
Stouffer's
Stouffer's is a brand of frozen prepared foods currently owned by Nestlé. Its products are available in the United States and Canada. Stouffer's is known for such popular fare as lasagna, macaroni and cheese, meatloaf, ravioli, and salisbury ...
are some of the more recognizable brands of prepared and frozen macaroni and cheese available in the United States. "Macaroni and cheese loaf", a
deli meat
Lunch meats—also known as cold cuts, luncheon meats, cooked meats, sliced meats, cold meats, sandwich meats, and deli meats—are precooked or cured meats that are sliced and served cold or hot. They are typically served in sandwiches or on ...
which contains both macaroni and processed cheese bits, can be found in some stores.
A variety of packaged mixes that are prepared in a sauce pan on the stove or in a
microwave oven
A microwave oven (commonly referred to as a microwave) is an electric oven that heats and cooks food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range. This induces polar molecules in the food to rotate and produce ...
are available. They are usually modeled on Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (known as
Kraft Dinner or KD in Canada), which was introduced in 1937 with the slogan "make a meal for four in nine minutes." It was an immediate success in the US and Canada amidst the economic hardships of the Depression. During the Second World War, rationing led to increased popularity for the product which could be obtained two boxes for one
food rationing
Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resources being distributed on a particular ...
stamp. The 1953 ''Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook'' includes a recipe using
Velveeta
Velveeta is a brand name for a processed cheese product similar to American cheese. It was invented in 1918 by Emil Frey of the "Monroe Cheese Company" in Monroe, New York, Monroe, New York (state), New York. In 1923, "The Velveeta Cheese Compan ...
, which had been reformulated in that year. The boxed Kraft product is popular in Canada, where it is the most-purchased grocery item in the country.
Boxed mixes consist of uncooked pasta and either a liquid cheese sauce (often labeled "deluxe") or powdered ingredients to prepare it. The powdered cheese sauce is mixed with either milk or water, and
margarine, butter, or
olive oil and added to the cooked pasta. Some mixes prepared in a
microwave
Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from about one meter to one millimeter corresponding to frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz respectively. Different sources define different frequency ra ...
cook the pasta in the sauce.
Another popular variant is jarred macaroni cheese sauce, which is especially popular in the UK and US, available under the
Dolmio and
Ragú
Ragú () is an American brand of Italian-style sauces and condiments owned, in North America, by Mizkan, and in the United Kingdom and Ireland, by Symington's, a private-label food manufacturer.
The sister product to Ragú, known as Ragulett ...
brands, among others. The pasta is purchased and prepared separately, then mixed with the heated cheese sauce.
Powdered cheese sauce, very similar to what is found inside a box of macaroni and cheese mix, is also sold without the pasta. This product is produced by several companies, most notably
Bisto,
Cabot,
Annie's and
Kraft Foods
The second incarnation of Kraft Foods is an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. in 2012 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz in 2015.
A merger with Heinz, arran ...
.
Tinned macaroni cheese is available in supermarkets in the UK, with the most prominent one being made by Heinz. These are often served on toast as a snack or as part of a breakfast.
A number of different products on the market use this basic formulation with minor variations in ingredients.
Although high in carbohydrates, calories, fat, and salt, macaroni and cheese is a source of protein and certain variations of the dish can decrease the negative health aspects.
See also
*
Carbonara
Carbonara () is an Italian pasta dish from Rome made with eggs, hard cheese, cured pork and black pepper. The dish arrived at its modern form, with its current name, in the middle of the 20th century.
The cheese is usually Pecorino Romano, ...
*
Chili mac
*
Käsespätzle
*
List of casserole dishes
This is a list of notable casserole dishes. A casserole, probably from the archaic French word ''casse'' meaning a small saucepan, is a large, deep dish used both in the oven and as a serving vessel. The word is also used for the food cooked and s ...
*
List of cheese dishes
This is a list of notable cheese dishes in which cheese is used as a primary ingredient or as a significant component of a dish or a food. Cheese is a food derived from milk that is produced in a wide range of flavors, textures, and forms by coa ...
*
Macaroni casserole
Macaroni casserole is a dish of baked pasta. It is especially known as a staple in northern European home cooking. It is a dish of cooked macaroni and a mixture of egg and milk with additional ingredients like meats, vegetables or fish. It is c ...
*
Macaroni pie
*
Macaroni salad
Macaroni salad is a type of pasta salad, served cold made with cooked elbow macaroni and usually prepared with mayonnaise. Much like potato salad or coleslaw in its use, it is often served as a side dish to barbecue, fried chicken, or other picni ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
A brief history of mac and cheese commentary on
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
*
Steingarten, Jeffrey (1997). ''The Man Who Ate Everything''. New York: Vintage. . The chapter, "Back of the Box", was first published in 1992. :)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macaroni And Cheese
American cuisine
Canadian cuisine
English cuisine
Cheese dishes
Macaroni dishes
Casserole dishes
Convenience foods
National dishes
American pasta dishes
Milk dishes
Foods featuring butter
Food combinations
Thanksgiving food